FEATURED TEACHER

Heather Lang grew up knowing she wanted to be a teacher, and she has never strayed from that plan.

Lang's parents taught in the Kansas City area, and she grew up hearing tales from the classroom. Aunts and uncles also taught, and the family instilled in her a love of learning.

Lang attended Columbia College on a softball scholarship and student-taught in Columbia Public Schools. She recently earned a master's degree in teaching from Columbia College.

This is her third year at Benton.

TEACHING STYLE

Lang tries to make the classroom fun for students while instilling core lessons. "That's the exciting thing but also the most challenging thing," she said.

She uses a lot of hands-on learning activities and games to accomplish that.

A new SmartBoard in her room this year helps, she said. The interactive whiteboard "makes them want to pay attention," Lang said. "They're so much more engaged than just watching me write on a chalkboard. There are a lot of interactive lessons."

Lang's room has qualified to become an eMINTS class, part of a statewide program that helps teachers learn to incorporate technology into core lessons. She starts eMINTS training next week and hopes to start implementing those strategies this year.

Lang assigns students to help her with weekly tasks and chores to make them feel as though the room is theirs. "Especially the kids who struggle, I want to get them involved as much as possible," she said. "I want them to feel like this is their room and I'm not just there telling them what to do. This is our room."

Although she's fairly new to teaching, Lang's success in the classroom hasn't gone unnoticed. She recently was named the "Teacher of the Year" by Wal-Mart on West Broadway, the school's Partner in Education. Wal-Mart staff joined Benton teachers and students to honor Lang last week during a surprise assembly. "That was definitely an honor," she said.

CLASSROOM

Once Lang has covered a lesson with her students, she lets them help her create a poster of key ideas to display. Right now, those posters include pictures of coins and other monetary symbols and a list of important rules to remember when writing.

Lang's students sit around tables to make it easier for them to work in pairs or teams. She leaves a large carpeted area free for lessons that involve all students.

WHY TEACH?

Even though she grew up around education, "I don't think you can ever understand what to expect until you get in it," Lang said.

And she has come to expect the unexpected.

"Every year is different, with different kids," she said. "And it's not going to be the same from day to day."

Benton, which has a high percentage of low-income students, can be especially challenging, but Lang said that is one reason she enjoys it.

"Just to see even the smallest amount of growth, how much each kid grows from the beginning of school to the end," she said. "Especially the ones who really try to push your buttons - in the end, you see it's all worthwhile."

Reach Janese Heavin at (573) 815-1705 or jheavin@columbiatribune.com.

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